Pinterest Aids in Helping Police Nab Criminals

Never underestimate the power of the internet or its users: it may sound crazy, but the social network Pinterest, aka the place where you can find a cute-sy cashmere sweater and a recipe for caramel fudge brownies, has helped local Pennsylvania police departments catch criminals.

Ever since the newspaper The Mercury created a Pinterest group called "the wanted by police group list" in July, the local police forces have been able to close cases and track down wanted criminals thanks to tips submitted by users.

The list has photos of the criminals as well as a description of the crime they're wanted for. The types of crime varies: there's DUI, attempted murder, theft, fraud, etc. The most recent arrest comes from Spring City, where a woman who had so far evaded the police and was being charged with burglary; previous offenses include a jail sentence after stalking a man. Thanks to the users of the Pinterest group, says Police Chief Anthony Kuklinski, they were finally able to arrest her on September 1st, 2012.

On Thursday afternoon, the Pinterest group was recently updated with a new list of wanted criminals to be on the lookout for, and a cop from Pottstown urges civilians to pick up the phone to call if they see anything; even an anonymous tip is helpful when it comes to holding the criminals accountable for their unlawful actions. And while you're there, maybe you'll check out the fun stuff TheFW's been posting.